Jay Jones, the Democratic nominee for Virginia legal professional basic, expressed his remorse for the graphic and violent language directed at a colleague in text messages in his opening assertion in Thursday evening’s debate with Republican incumbent Jason Miyares.
“Let me be very clear: I am ashamed. I am embarrassed. And I am sorry,” Jones mentioned. “I am sorry to Speaker Gilbert. I am sorry to his family. I am sorry to my family. And I am sorry to every single Virginian. I cannot take back what I said, but you have my word that I will always be accountable for my mistakes. And you also have my word that I will spend every waking moment fighting for you.”
His feedback got here moments after Miyares recounted the contents of these text messages, and mentioned they reveal Jones doesn’t have the “experience or the judgement” to be the state’s prime prosecutor.
“We have seen a window to who Jay Jones is and the way he thinks of people that disagree with him,” Miyares mentioned. “Abraham Lincoln said the character is what you do in the dark when no one is watching. But now we know what he was doing in the dark.”
The debate comes lower than two weeks after the legal professional basic’s race was turned on its head by the publication of the 2022 text messages in which Jones, then a state legislator, advised then- House Speaker Todd Gilbert, a Republican, must be shot. He went on to say Gilbert and his spouse are “breeding little fascists,” in reference to Gilbert’s younger youngsters and advised the youngsters ought to die. National Review first reported the information of Jones’ texts, which have been despatched to a Republican lawmaker, Carrie Coyner.
Early voting is already underway. Under Virginia regulation, there is no such thing as a manner for Jones to formally exit the race at this level with out Democrats successfully conceding the legal professional basic’s workplace.
The Democratic nominee for governor, Abigail Spanberger, has denounced Jones’ texts — however has left his political destiny as much as voters. She didn’t repeat her earlier endorsement of Jones in her recent debate with Republican Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears, however she additionally didn’t name for Jones to finish his marketing campaign.
Jones’ texts have grow to be a nationwide story that has dominated headlines forward of an election in Virginia that’s usually seen as a barometer of the political temper a 12 months after every presidential election. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries on Thursday mentioned Jones “has appropriately apologized” for his texts and mentioned his remarks have been “condemned across the board by the Democrats” in Virginia and past. He didn’t say whether or not Jones ought to keep in the race or not.
Virginia Democratic Party chairman Lamont Bagby, who’s a state senator, has defended Jones.
“I’ve known Jay Jones for years, and I know his family. I know him as a man, and those texts aren’t who he is. And at this point in the commonwealth’s history, we need somebody that’s going to stand up and fight for Virginia’s health care, education and make sure that we stand up for democracy,” Bagby mentioned.
Miyares, the son of a Cuban immigrant, may characterize Republicans’ finest likelihood of a statewide victory in Virginia this fall. He received the legal professional basic’s workplace in 2021, ousting Democratic incumbent Mark Herring — a 12 months in which Jones misplaced the Democratic main to Herring. Miyares has usually waded into cultural battles over gender identification and faculties — a problem that Earle-Sears has made the centerpiece of her message this 12 months.